


it's gonna be okay.

by emrys (livingshitpost)



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Het, Background Relationships, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Gay Character, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon Het Relationship, Canon Relationships, Drugs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FUCK yall let these kids be happy, Gen, Heavy Angst, Heroin, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kinda, Lisa is a Good Mom, Medical, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, Medical Professionals, Open to Interpretation, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Romance, Recovery, References to Drugs, Suicidal Larry Johnson, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Therapy, To An Extent, Well - Freeform, feel free to read this as sallarry, i don't really. care tbh, i guess, no ghosts no demons no curse no NOTHIN, or not w/e, past suicide attempt(s), probably, worlds fastest reference to lisa being some kind of christian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:29:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys
Summary: i'll be gone soon.He bit his lips. His hands shook. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. "Larry Johnson, you motherfucker, you'd better not be dead."





	it's gonna be okay.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [this art](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/453743) by schaytan. 



_i'll be gone soon._

He was fumbling to open the door to Addison Apartments before he even fully registered that he had moved. The slightly-battered keycard normally slipped easily into its slot in the elevator, but this time it took him a few tries. He bit his lips. His hands shook. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. The ride from the first floor to the basement seemed to last an eternity, but he shoved through the doors as soon as they started to open. Thank God Lisa usually left the door unlocked.

"Larry?" Sal's voice had a nervous edge. He slammed open the door to the bathroom, only to find nothing. "Shit," he muttered, heading for his friend's room. "You better be somewhere around here, you dumbass." He threw the blanket from the bed as he passed before rushing outside.

"Larry!" The soles of his sneakers slapped against the pavement as thunder crashed overhead. "Larry Johnson, you motherfucker, you'd better not be dead!"

The boards that formed the ladder to the treehouse were slick with rain, but it didn't take him long to make his way up. He threw the trapdoor open.

"Larry!"

He scrambled into the treehouse, all but crawling across the floor to where Larry sat slumped against the wall. He brushed the hair from his face and forced one of his eyes open, shining the light from his phone directly into it. His pupil dilated a bit.

"Oh, thank God," Sal muttered. He shook his friend by the shoulders. "Larry!"

No response. 

"Come on, man." He punched him as hard as he could in the chest. "Wake up!"

Larry coughed, seeming to rouse slightly. He looked up. His eyes were unfocused and filled with tears. "S-Sal?"

"You're gonna be fine," Sal assured him as he pulled out his phone. "It's gonna be okay."

"Sal, you shouldn've-"

"Sshh!"

" _911, what's your emergency_?"

"I- My-my friend-"

" _Sir, it's going to be alright. Can you tell me where you are?_ "

"Addison Apartments," he said. He took a shaky breath. "It's in Nockfell."

"Okay, I'm gonna transfer you to someone nearby. They'll be able to help."

"Thank you."

A moment passed. Sal removed his mask and lifted Larry's face to look him in the eyes. "If you die," he said, "I'm gonna fucking kill you."

Larry smiled a little. "Good luck with that, Sal."

He kept a close eye on his friend as he relayed information to the operator. "Someone will be on their way shortly," he'd heard them say, and he'd thanked them before hanging up and dragging Larry to his feet.

"Sal," Larry muttered, "y'shouldn'a come 'ere."

"What, and just let you die?"

"Fuck, yeah!" Larry tried to pull away. "Why wouldn't you?"

Sal groaned in exasperation as he forced Larry to pace around the treehouse with him, trying desperately to keep him awake. He stopped only when he heard sirens approaching.

"You didn'-"

"You know I did, dumbass." He went over to the window and grabbed a nearby rock, breaking one of the glass panes. "We're in the treehouse!" He shouted, waving his arm out of the hole in the glass. 

"Why're y'doin' this, man?" Larry complained, leaning to sit on the floor once again. "Jus' lemme die in  _peace_."

"No!" Sal pulled Larry upright again, which was proving to be difficult since he was six inches shorter. "I'm gonna get you through this if it kills me!"

A police officer appeared from the hole in the floor, followed quickly by a paramedic.

"What happened?"

"He tried to overdose on something," Sal explained as he passed his friend off. "Uh, heroin, I think?"

The paramedic shouted something to their partner below.

The officer put a hand on Sal's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Don't fucking touch me," he shouted. "Just make sure Larry doesn't die!" His vision grew blurry and hot tears streamed down his scarred cheeks. "Please."

"We'll do everything we can," the officer told him. "You found him early, so he stands a good chance. Now, I'm going to have to ask you some questions . . ." 

* * *

He rode along with the officer to the hospital in the next town over. His hands shook as he dialled Lisa and held the phone to his ear.

"Heya, Sal!" She sounded so happy. He almost didn't want to tell her. "What's up?"

"It's, uh." He took a deep breath and sighed. "It's Larry. I need you to meet us at the hospital."

"Oh." He heard movement in the background. "Is he okay?"

He licked his lips. "No."

"Is he  _alive_?" 

"Last I saw, yeah. But he's in pretty shit condition."

"I'll be right there. Thank you for telling me."

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks."

She hung up, and he dialled Todd's number.

"Todd Morrison." He sounded almost bored. "What's-"

"Larry's in the hospital."

"Seriously? Shit."

Someone said something in the background.

"Neil and I will be right over. We'll probably pick Ashley up since her house is on the way. Just stay calm in the meantime, alright?"

"Yeah," Sal said softly. "Yeah. I know. Okay."

"Do you want to keep talking?"

Sal whined low in his throat. "Don't know if I can."

"That's fine." Todd paused. "Your voice sounds clearer than normal; do you want me to bring one of your spare masks?"

Sal's hand floated upward. "Shit. Uh, yeah. Yeah. That'd be good. Thanks."

"Of course. I assume any one of them will do?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"There's no need to thank me, Sal. I know you said you didn't know if you could talk, but do you want me to keep talking to you?"

"Mmm. No."

"Okay. Neil and I will be there soon with Ashley, alright? Count the streetlights, if it helps. Or everything you can find that's green, or something. We'll see you soon."

"Okay." 

The rest of the drive passed in relative silence.

Lisa and Henry were already in the waiting room when they arrived. Sal fell into their arms, burying his face in their shoulders.

"You did good, Sal," Henry said gently. "You probably saved his life."

Sal couldn't say anything around the lump in his throat. 

"Sally," Lisa said, voice quiet. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. She pulled him close and pet his hair.

"It's gonna be okay," She said, though her voice shook. "It's gonna be okay." 

* * *

Sal ended up falling asleep with his head on Neil's shoulder. Ashley and Todd chatted quietly over their still-full cups of shitty hospital coffee, trying to distract each other from the potential tragedy a few doors down. Lisa played a game on her phone with Henry's arm around her, offering advice from time to time. 

"Lisa Johnson?"

Everyone glanced up at the doctor. Sal jolted awake as Neil sat up straighter. 

"Yes?"

"I'm happy to tell you that your son's condition is stable."

A sigh passed through the room. 

"Oh, thank God," Lisa murmured. "So he'll be okay?"

"We've put him in a medically induced coma for now. There were some pretty intense drugs in his system — predominantly heroin. It's a good thing he was found quickly. Things could have ended very differently."

Sal stood to stand beside Lisa. "A coma?"

"An induced coma, yes. He'll wake up as soon as we stop the flow of thiopental."

"Can we see him?" Ashley asked. 

"I think that would be alright," the doctor replied. "But I'm not sure it would be a good idea for all six of you to be in there at once."

"I'll stay here," Neil said. He gave Todd a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right here when you come back out, okay?"

Todd nodded. 

"Maybe just you guys," Ashley suggested. "You're his family, y'know?"

"I agree," said Todd. "You three go on."

"Are you kids sure?" Lisa couldn't help worry about her son's friends.

"Of course," Ashley told her. "Don't worry about us; we'll be fine. Go ahead."

Lisa hugged Ashley. "Thank you," she sighed. "You're all such sweet kids. I'm glad my Larry has you as friends."

"Hey, don't mention it." Ash smiled. 

Henry took Lisa's hand and put his other arm around Sal's shoulders. "C'mon," he said softly. 

It was quiet. Despite the dark sky outside, the lights were bright in the plain white room. The heart monitor beeped every second or so, and there were tubes wrapped around Larry's ears going into his nostrils. 

Lisa brought a hand to her mouth as she approached. "Lar . . ."

Sal sat on the edge of Larry's bed and took his hand, playing with his fingers. "I'm gonna kill you when you wake up," he said, laughing weakly. 

Henry let Lisa lean on his shoulder as she brushed some of her son's long brown hair from his face.

"I thought I could stop worrying about this," she murmured. "I never wanted to see you like this again, Lar, but now . . ." Her voice threatened to break. "Now we're here again."

Sal said nothing, but his question hung in the air all the same. He laced his fingers with Larry's. 

"He hadn't even cracked a joke about wanting to die in so long. I kept my eyes peeled for even a whisper of a sign, but there was  _nothing_." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Lord, don't take my baby boy away from me."

Sal gently squeezed Larry's hand. He squeezed back, and although Sal knew it was simply an involuntary reflex, it still brought him some comfort. 

* * *

Larry stayed under for a few days. Lisa was by his side for several hours each day while Henry worked and Sal finished packing Larry's stuff so he could move into the house with him, Todd, and Neil. Only Sal was there when he finally awoke.

He blinked a few times against the harsh fluorescent lights. He sighed, and a small groan escaped his lips. 

"Larry?"

"Shit," was all he said. "Feel like I got hit by a fuckin' truck."

Sal tried to fight the tears welling in his eyes. "You fucking  _asshole_ ," he laughed. "You scared the shit outta me."

Larry smiled. It didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you dumbass." Sal's laugh, though through tears, was genuine. He leaned down and pulled his best friend into his arms. "I missed you."

Larry held Sal as tightly as he could. His voice was quiet. "I'm so fuckin' sorry, man."

"Hey, hey. You don't have to be sorry. None of us want you to be sorry, okay?" He pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. "We just want you to be happy and healthy and _safe_."

Larry almost laughed. "You're gonna make me go to therapy, aren't you?"

"Lisa and I already got you an appointment in a couple weeks. It's at the same time as mine."

He scoffed. "Typical. You're such a mom, Sally Face."

"Yeah, yeah."


End file.
